Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio; J

Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio; J.H. Beers & Co., Chicago, 1896, pp. 474-475

SAMUEL FOUGHT, one of the honored pioneers of Sandusky county, has made his home in Washington township since the days when this locality was a frontier settlement, when the work of progress and civilization seemed hardly begun, when homes were widely scattered, and when many of the now thriving towns and villages had not yet sprung into existence. In the work of progress and advancement he has ever borne his part, and his name is inseparably connected with the history of the county.

Mr. Fought is a native of Ohio, born in Perry county, December 3, 1831 [possible error: see fourth paragraph - ed.], and is a son of Michael and Elizabeth (Kline) Fought, who removed from Pennsylvania to Ohio in the days when it was hardly safe to venture far from their log cabin, for the wolves were then more numerous in Sandusky county than are the cattle today. They located upon a forty-acre tract of land about two miles from the present home of our subject, and there spent their remaining days, both reaching an advanced age. The father passed away at the age of eighty-one, and the mother was called to her final rest at the age of eighty-three. In his political relations he was a Democrat, and both were members of the Lutheran Church. Their family numbered eleven children, of whom Peggy became the wife of J. Cunningham, by whom she had four children, and after his death married G. Heverland, by whom she had one child; Sally married J. Hetrick, and both are now deceased; Solomon, Nancy and Michael are also deceased; the other members of the family are Betsy, William, Powell, Polly, Samuel and Levi.

Our subject was a young child when his parents located in Sandusky county, and when he became old enough to attend school he was sent to the only one in the township, about five miles from his home, and that distance he was compelled to walk. He lived with his parents until 1848, when, at the age of seventeen, with the money that he had saved from his earnings, he purchased seventy acres of land in Washington township, and took up his residence thereon. It is located on what is termed the pike, and is one of the most valuable tracts in the township. Here he is successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits, and his place is under a high state of cultivation, and well improved with the accessories and conveniences of a model farm.

On October 5, 1843 [year must be an error, if we accept a birth year of 1831, or vice versa - ed.], Mr. Fought was married to Miss Susan Klotz, daughter of David Klotz, a farmer of Pennsylvania, in whose family there were seven children: Philip, Katie, Susan, John, Martin, Samuel and David. The father died at the age of sixty-three, the mother at the advanced age of eighty-six. To Mr. and Mrs. Fought have been born eight children--six sons and two daughters-- namely: Nancy, born December 16, 1844, now the wife of Fred Gillard; Lucy, born January 15, 1847, now the wife of Frank Arnett, a carpenter of Fremont, Ohio; Absalom, born May 11, 1850; William, born February 23, 1852, and is engaged in carpentering in Fremont; Freeman, who was born January 13, 1854, and resides in Hessville, Ohio; Levi, who was born August 5, 1856, and follows milling in Fremont; Franklin, a resident of Lindsey, Ohio, born May 31, 1861; and David E., born August 25, 1864, now a contractor of Toledo, Ohio. Mr. Fought is a stalwart Republican in politics, and has filled the office of school director, taking a deep interest in the cause of education, of which he is a warm friend. He belongs to the United Brethren Church.